Superhero Apps

Which Superhero Are You (Free. iOS and Android) I'd like to first point out that the Android and Apple versions do the same ting but are from different companies. The Android version has better graphics and includes villains. What you can do is pick a superhero in your head, answer questions, and see if it guesses correctly. The other use is to answer the questions about yourself and see what superhero (or villain) you are most like. It's cute and appropriate for all ages.

Super Hero Photo Quiz (Free. iOS only) If you are a comic book, anime, and manga master this is the app for you. It shows a picture of a character and you try to answer their name. You can get help but it costs coins, which you are awarded with correct answers, watch ads, write a review of the app, share on Facebook, or purchase. Users might get frustrated and give up quickly or they will really like it.

Comic Book Trivia (Free. Android Only). Test your knowledge of comic book characters. Multiple choice questions that have varying degrees of difficulty. Many reviewers complain that it focuses too heavily on DC and Marvel.

POW (Free. iOS only) A cute app that makes silly superhero sounds (think 60's Batman) when you punch your phone in the air. It can be a quick workout, relieve stress, or in my case annoy the coworkers in the cubicle next to you. Little kids may find it fun and funny. They app was glitch and froze a couple times, so it has some flaws.

Superhero Comic Book Maker ($1.99 iOS only) Create your own digital comics by using pre-made characters, effects, backgrounds, and speech bubbles. You can record your own voice, use 29 different crayons, and animate panels. It seems really aimed at 6 - 12 year old kids. http://www.duckduckmoose.com/educational-iphone-itouch-apps-for-kids/superhero-comic-book-maker/

Comic Strip It! (Free or $1.99 pro version Android only) Create your own comic strips, comic books, memes, story boards, and quick how-to directions. You can share quickly with social media or save your creation. The Pro version gives a lot more tools / options and allows exporting as a digital comic book format.

Free Toddler Apps

This week my son Gracen turned 2 so I thought that I would focus on "Apps for Toddlers". Recently I picked up a Fischer Price iPad case recently that was on Clearance so I was able to have Gracen test these apps out. I have to say that I was really disappointed in the lack of free apps for toddlers, some articles and lists for free apps were out of date and the apps ended up costing .99 - 3.99 now. So many of the free Toddler Apps on the market have "in-app purchases" which takes them to a confirmation screen that they can't get out of or it will stop game play and tell them that if they want to play more they have to buy the full version. Let me tell you that either of those will cause a screaming crying toddler and in my case a very unhappy wife.

So this list may be shorter than my usual lists but these have all been vetted by an actual two-year old and a Dad who watched him happily play, or in the case of the apps that didn't make the list cause a melt down.

Laugh & Learn learning letters - this Fischer price app is super simple and gets redundant quick but toddlers don't care: bright colors, clean graphics (same as other Fischer Price toys), and cheerful music. It says a letter and they tap the screen to see the next one.

Laugh & Learn shapes & colors - same thing but it teaches colors and shapes, I should mention one of the great things about the Fischer Price apps is that their is the option to lock the child into the activity or story and not be able to go to the home screen to change

                                          settings or do something else they shouldn't.

Laugh & Learn storytime - two story rhymes: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and Itsy Bitsy Spider; you can read along or sing and play for each story

Endless 123 - extremely cute with amazing illustrations, it teaches numbers and some basic math but the child may not understand all of it. Beautiful app, the company has another app that costs money called "Endless Alphabet" that has been on some best apps for                   

                  Children lists in different publications.

Balls - there are colored balls that leave a trail and make different musical sounds as they collide with each other or the sides of the screen. The child can change the direction of the balls by tapping on the screen.

Peekabooyou - barn animals - this was my son's favorite (mine too) it is very simple peek a boo with different farm animals but for the face of the farmer you use a picture of your child's face. My son would laugh and giggle every time he saw himself.

For older toddlers and maybe older kids (because there are ads that younger toddlers will accidentally touch sending them to a website):

Chalkboard - it's exactly what it sounds like

Wheels On the Bus - it has a lot of great games, songs, an activities the only problem was it kept having prompts to buy the full version

Puzzingo - lots of great puzzles, similar problem ads that send you to websites or the app store for in-app purchases

If you find a great Toddler App that is free let me know. I found a few more to look at but I can honestly say there were a lot of duds that I looked at that websites said were good.

Is there a topic or type of app that you'd like me to review, I am looking for suggestions.

Homework Apps

After a recent webinar by Kira Smith KiraDemo@Kdace.com I learned about some of the Best Homework Apps. I looked at each of these apps tried them out and selected the ones that I thought were the best from her webinar and my experience.

Study Skills

iTooch (free; additional features $4.99) – large exercise database, meets common core standards, fast child-friendly interface, calculator and blackboard features, grade-specific content, syncs when web connection is available, badges, 3-5^th grade Elementary School app and 6-8^th grade Middle School app.

Quizlet (free; additional features $4.99) – create your own flashcards, 18 different languages, learn mode tracks correct and incorrect responses to emphasize areas you need help, spelling tests, math quizzes, typing program, voice recording for notes, the interface and content is definitely more middle school appropriate.

SAT Up and ACT Up (free; $4.99-9.99 premium features) – diagnostic questions help determine what you need help with and what you’re strong on, supports 12 languages, subject specific workouts, customized quizzes, games that help build skills, gives users a lot of feedback.

SimpleMind (free; PRO $4.99) – helps organize thoughts; create mind maps, flow charts, bracket charts, diagrams; add notes; works and syncs with desktop / other devices, the PRO version allows collaboration, sync to Dropbox, e-mail, icons, and much more.

MindNode ($9.99-19.99) – similar to SimpleMInd it has a slicker display / interface, more uploading options and display options, some user reviews express frustration with desktop version.

Assignment Trackers

myHomework (free; $4.99 additional features) – track assignments, schedule, projects, tests, and notifications; join io teacher classes, sync between devices, reminders, premium allows for file attachments, upload assignments, teachers can push out no ads, rewards

iStudiez (Lite Free, PRO $2.99) – calendar, collaboration, upload to iCloud, great layout, easy to use, track projects, assignments, and grades;

iHomework ($1.99) – extremely similar to iStudez with better upload / sync capabilities, integrates with Questia, has a reminder function, you can sort assignments different ways.

inClass (free) – video, audio, photo notes; schedules, assignments, repeating assignments, collaborate, share on Facebook.

Note Taking

EverNote (free, $5 month premium features) – the king of note taking apps it allows you use photos, video, audio; integrate different notes into portfolios; makes text in photos searchable; share via: Facebook and LinkedIn; the premium fee gives you PIN lock, offline mode, integrate with companion apps;

GoodNotes 4 ($5.99) – you can draw / sketch notes; use a stylus, finger, or keyboard; syncs automatically to cloud services; you can choose: graph, ruled, or plain paper (background); write on or highlight PDFs; iPad only

Learning to Read

Learn with Homer (free) – listening and drawing activities, Pre-K – Elementary, reading comprehension questions, customizable, great feedback, 30 free lessons, and it is so cute

Endless Alphabet ($6.99) – letter sounds, vocabulary, phonics, entertaining monster characters, very slick design, downside is large file size and doesn’t progressively get harder

Spelling & Vocabulary

Spelling City (free, $29.99 year) – lots of words by grade, schools use it, extremely popular, the subscription saves your progress, keeps a record, syncs your account across devices

The Opposites (.99) – brother and sister characters are opposites, cute engaging graphics, fun game, kid-friendly design

Winning Words (free) – memory match style game, four different game boards, changeable difficulty, up to 4 players, for 4 years and older, create compound words.

Geography

Tiny Countries (3.99) – children capture evil characters by answering geography questions that help children learn about 75 countries their capitals and major cities; 15 missions allow children to review information about countries before they begin.

BrainPOP (free, $4.99-6.99 a month) – third grade and up videos with quizzes about 7 subject areas; free gives you one free video and quiz a day; Explorer $4.99 give 4 additional videos with quizzes a day, and $6.99 gives unlimited access; the content is highly acclaimed by multiple parent and educator groups; the website gives you a lot of free games and videos.

News-O-Matic (free 10 issues then .99 weekly or $1.99 monthly or $19.99 yearly) – articles about sports, animals, news, etc. that have been written by written by professional children’s writers and reviewed by a child psychologist before publication to ensure emotionally safe content; quizzes, puzzles, and games accompany each issue.

Stack the States (.99) - learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations, flags and more; tracks progress with your own map of the United States filled in with the states you have learned.

Science

Kid Weather ($1.99) – math and science skills, plot weather information, graph data, track multiple locations

Human Body ($2.99) – nervous, muscle, skeletal, system; uses microphone, camera, and light to demonstrate; beautiful artwork, urogenital system is an extra in-app purchase that can be made;

Plants ($2.99) – three biomes but they are adding more; see how different animals and insects interact with their environment; have the seasons change or introduce a fire to see how that affects things.

NASA (free) videos, photos, internet radio, mission details, history of the space program, this app is on my list of best apps for adults also – it’s that good.

Solve the Outbreak (free) – middle school and older audience this app has been created by the CDC to teach about how epidemics spread and how public health responds to those crises; lots of STEM education in a game format.

Math

Pet Bingo ($1.99) – for ages 4-10, it helps learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions; not timed, supports common core, tracks progress, and gives you a report card; you get pets for completing different levels and you feed them by answering questions correctly.

Sushi Monster (free) – for ages 9-11, you put in the correct number that fits each equation; a correct answer feeds the monster sushi; it is timed and has distractions; 12 levels of increasing difficulty with 14 questions each level.

Dragon Box Algebra ($5.99) - innovative educational app that through gameplay teaches kids concepts relating to solving algebraic equations. The app includes links to the developer's website as well as the app store, but does not require a user account or other online access

Language

Duolingo (free) - makes learning languages a games; has five languages

MemRise (free) – Learn languages, geography, history, science, and pop culture through crowd-sourced courses

English Monstruo (free) – through extensive analysis Cambridge has developed an app that teaches English to native Spanish speakers and emphasizes the phrases, grammar, and vocabulary that they most often encounter problems

Mango Language (free but need library card number) – teaches in a way very similar to Rosetta Stone, it has 26 languages and teaches you a lot about the language you want to learn. The library pays for it and it has ESL courses.

Resources

There are a lot great sources to find reviews of apps for children and education.

These are some of the best: (magazines) Horn Book, Kirkus, PC Magazine, School Library Journal

(websites) Common Sense Media, Edumic, AASL, Moms with Apps, Little eLit